Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1887-06-17
a DOMESTIC PROBLEM.
BY LUCY RANDALL COMFORT.
From Harper's Bazaar

from beginning to end,' said Roxy
Stephens, in a sudden outburst O.
despair. eyes, it is. Here have
been going to school all my life, and
don't know anything. There neye,
could have been," Roxy deliberately
added, "even in the Dark Ages, such
an ignoramus as I am. I don't ever
know how to feed the chickens proper
ly," as a downy colony OF little "'Do
miniques" scattered this way and that
before the mass OF scalded meal which
Roxy had flung to abruptly into thei,
midst, while the mother hen, sounding
a trumpet-note OF shrill alarm, scut.
tied back against the picket fence,
with Tapping wings and feathers all
a-bristle-
The door-yard, starred with yellow
dandelion blooms and turfed with
rosettes OF plantain leaves, was
stepped in the soft noon heats;
chevaux-de.frise Of pink and
puce-colored hollyhocks guarded
the garden wall, and a faint scent o.
ripening raspberries foated on tins air.
Down by the maple swamp cow-bells
tinkled softly, and some wild bird
whistled the same refrain over and
over again with melodious consistency
from the hazel copse across the road
And Roxy Stephens, sitting dolorous'
" ON the door-stone, with her chin
supported in both hands, neither
saw nor heard these sweet interpreted.
tions OF nature.
Up to a certain degree there was
truth in her lamentatlon. Roxy had
been seventeen years old when she
came to live with her aunt Sally Step.
hens on the Redbrook farm. She was
a. bright-haired, fresh-complexioned
girl, with shady blue eyes, empha.
sized by perfectly sarched brows a
thought heavier than falls to the
usual lot OF womankind. They had
always been secret grievance to her,
these black leech-like curves; but, had
she only known it, the dark, strongly
pencilled brows were what gave char
acter to her whole face, and redeemed
it from the insipidity OF mere pink and
white prettiness. In q certain fashion
her mind or1esyonded to her eye
brows. There was q quaint vein OF
originality pervading it. Her nature
was strongly outlined, too, and in the
fu]lness OF her youth and vitality she
had once believed that she was born
to conquer fate.
Roxanna Stephens was a c;ty-bred
girl, the daughter of Miss Sally's old.
est brother, who had died unexp4 cted-
~, leaving motherless girl totally
unprovided for. Thus do people give
mortgages to fate, and dying, leave
others to fOreclose on them. There is
undoubtedly a. certain degree of in
Justice in it; but who shall Venture to
carp against the Lords will? Miss
Sally herself, a. complaining little wom-
an, with face full of fine wrinkles,
like China Grape, and blue eyes hidden
behind misty spectacles, accepted the
trust, as she had accepted all the
other Inconvenience OF her life, Imply
and without protest. She had never
had any strong emotions one way or
the other. If she had any active
pleasure it was in gathering the hum.
bic herbs and simples OF her native
fields and drying them in preparation
for the aches and pains that beset her
poor humanity. 'It's always we'll to
be prepared" said She. Il don thold
witt the hommpathies, nor yet !
hain't no faith in calomel and mercury
There amt nothin' like roots and
herbs, and every neighbor within ten
miles around comes to me for 'em
when they've sickness in the house."
And to this little Old brown woman
in a little old brown farmhouse came
Roxanna, the young princess who had
set forth to conquer the world.
"I'm desput glad you've come, Rox-
anner," said Miss Stephens, shifting at
a bunch OF wilted pennyroyal. Tain't
able to keep on dom as l hev been
dom. Somehow it's borne in Upon me
that Providence has sent you. I've
worked powerful hard all my life, and
now I'll just rest a. spell, and let you
keep house for me. I hain't no doubt
at all but what we'll get along togeth-
er first-rate, you and me-
Roxy looked with solemn eyes at
her aunt. Evidently the old lady had
faith as a grain of mustard seed, and
there was something contagious in
her example.
'It must be very easy to keep
house." said Roxy, fresh from the
classroom and recitation hall. So the
household helm was delivered into her
hands, and then--not till then--she
realized the fact OF her exceeding ignor'
ance.
Not for worlds, however, would she
have confessed her inability to rule
the domestic menage. Aunt Sally had
a. profound contempt for "book-larn.
in" and did not hesitate to assert
roundly that "ef brother Simon had
took her advice he would hev brung
up Roxanner i'll quite a different way ~
and the girl had n certain silent pride
in vindicating her fathers iudg.
ment. So, by the help Of
O dog's.eared cookery book which she
found in the garnet, she learned some
OF the simpler secrets of the cuisine,
and her own neat nature taught her
the mysteries Of sweeping and scrub
bling; while old Kinda, jet black
negress, with grlzzled wool and q soft
appealing voice like flute, who pre-
vaded the nelghborhood, came twice
in a month to wash and iron for the
little household.
"Jes what ole Hinda's good for
said she; '!at an muffin else. Missy
car do mos anything; but dar amt nc
sense in Missy stan'in' at de wash
tub. Leave dat ar to ole Hinda."
And Roxy's spirits rose with he1
good luck.
"I'm getting to be g. housekeeper